A Century I've Been Waiting
by Musical Tomboy613
Summary: One Hundred years ago, before the Guardians, before Pitch, and before Jack had memories, he had love. In the fiery spirit of Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of The Dead. But she was taken away. Death has given him 100 years to find a replacement soul. A new evil is rising, and the Hundred years are almost up and Jack sees an opportunity to catch the soul he needs to bring her back.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everybody! This is my first story here on FFN, and I'm so glad to finally be able to post this. This was a combination of headcannons and plot bunnies that has been melded together in my head for a while. This story also contains my OC Catrina, a fiery Hispanic girl who will act as Jacks love interest. I'll try my best to make her a real original character, and not a Mary Sue. Now, onto the story!  
**

****No one had really noticed it at first, but as February drew near, Jack had started to become more estranged. Tooth had been the first to notice that something was off. Despite the heat, Jack would come to the palace to help her sort teeth and order the fairies around. What used to be on a daily basis had led off into once a week, then a couple times a month, and then Jack stopped coming all together.

Bunny had been the next to notice. Though the young Guardian was a pest to him most of the time, the Pooka had come to care for him and was worried when the young boy stopped his occasional visits.

Sandy had been seeing decidedly less of the winter spirit, given that the boy visited him while he was doing his rounds, and they would just sit in a comfortable silence, with Jack occasionally trying to start a conversation via sign language, but that just led to more silence.

North was the last one to notice the winter spirit's absence. It had started with an unsettling silence in the workshop, devoid of yelling Yeti's and the jingle of elves as they followed at Jack's feet. After a month and a half, North had had enough of the quiet and decided to call his fellow Guardians, and hopefully Jack would show, giving them a little bit of insight as too why he was acting so distant. With a twist and a push, the Aurora Borealis wove its way through the sky, to the four corners of the earth, delighting children and adults alike, but holding a special meaning for the Heroes of Children.

*** Unknown's POV***

"_The Hundred Years are soon up, but I have faith in my frosted knight. For over the last century, his heart has become tender with effort to find a replacement for me._ _Un siglo__he esperado__, mi __amor*."_

**A/N: * Translation: A century I've waited, my love. So, what did you think? Constructive criticism , Please. No Flames! **


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNING: LONG AUTHORS NOTE AHEAD. SKIP IF YOU WANT.**

**I made a little flub in the summary, the story is set 1 year after the movie, so the Burgess kids might make an appearance, but that's still pending. Also, I want to thank The-Raving-Cheshire-Cat for being the first to favorite my story. Seriously, a fave just after it was posted, that's pretty awesome for me, and I hope to get plenty more. These (-o-o-o-) mean line breaks .I also forgot to put this in the first chapter.**

**Disclaimer- I sadly do not own Rise of the Guardians, it belongs to Dreamworks. I do, however, own my OC. Now, onto the story! Again!**

Bunny was the first to arrive. "Oi, North! What's the big deal callin' me! Easter is next month and I've still got 2 **million** eggs to paint!" North gave a sigh, knowing where this conversation was ultimately going to end up, but they had more important matters to attend to, like if Jack would show or not."Bunny, this is not time for argument. We might be on verge of finding out what has happened to Jack, and why he has been avoiding us lately." Bunny was about to respond, but he was cut off by a high pitched voice, belting out commands. "We've got 14 in Nassau, a lateral incisor in Miami, and 13 up in Seattle, go, go, go!" Tooth had arrived and was instructing the fairies as usual. Bunny cast a glance at the hybrid and started talking again, "As I was sayin' mate, the Larrikin is probably plannin' one of his big pranks and doesn't want us in on it." North shook his head. "No, this is something much more serious. I feel it, in-." "I'm gonna cut ya off right there, mate. You cannot feel things with your belly!" Bunny cut him off sharply.

While the two were arguing about the dependability of North's gut, Sandy had silently slipped into the room and helped himself to a glass of eggnog. He was about to sit down when a glimmer caught his eye. He looked in the direction of the skylight to see that Manny was trying to make his presence known. He thought about ringing an elf again, but that would just give the poor creature a headache, so he decided to try a more comical approach to grabbing their attention. The little man floated silently over to Bunny, and crept up behind him. Tooth had just enough time to warn the Pooka before eggnog was drained on his head.

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Jack had seen the lights and quickly called on the Wind to lift him and carry him to the Pole. He hoped the meeting would be short, because he so much more to deal with. He only had one more month, then Death would be free of his promise to Jack and he would never see his Latina again. At the moment though, Guardian duties outweighed love, so he had to go see what the problem was. His thoughts were silent the rest of the way up north.

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Half of the workshop was in chaos because of what Sandy did. The second that eggnog hit his fur, Bunny had it in for the dream weaver. After 10 minutes, the soaked Pooka finally had him in a corner and was about to strangle him, until Sandy held up his hands in the 'I surrender' position and pointed at the skylight. All eyes turned to the window as the sliver of moonlight grew brighter. "Sandy, were you trying to get our attention?" Tooth asked. Sandy nodded his head vigorously and slowly shuffled away from Bunny, only to get the 'I'm watching you' sign.

The sliver of moonlight made its way to the blue platform in the middle of the floor, where MiM first chose Jack. A shadow formed, slowly developing a muscular build and curved horns, and when it was done, it made all of the Guardians instantly blanch. Bunny was the first to speak up, although his voice was weak and raspy. "M-Minotaur? I thought we locked that guy up centuries ago!" Tooth was so afraid that even her feathers had lost their healthy glow, and were now dull. "That- that **_thing_** is a danger to kids everywhere!" she screeched. North looked at the shadow and noticed that something was happening. He nudged everybody to get their attention. "Look" he said. The shadow had started to twist and change shape, slowly becoming more delicate and feminine in appearance, until it formed the silhouette of a young woman. By now, all of the Guardians had regained the composure, their color, and were now curious. North was the first to speak up this time. "What is this? Could she be an ally?" Instead, he heard a whispering voice at the back of his head .'_Jack_' it said. North was about to ask what Jack had to do with it, but before any of his questions were answered, the ray of moonlight disappeared, and a soft crackling was heard.

All eyes turned towards the open window as fern-like frost patterns formed, and seconds later, said Guardian of Fun entered.

**Woohoo! Cliffie! I'll try to have the third chapter up by Sunday evening, but no promises. **

**R&R please. Constructive criticism and NO FLAMES!**

**Also, " Larrikin' is Australian slang for a harmless prankster. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'M SO SORRY! I know that I had promised you guys an update like, what? Two weeks ago? But school's been kicking my butt lately, and it's soon exam time, so I've soon got to start studying. So updates might be a little irregular until summer break, when I can spoil you guys with updates and one-shots. Anyway, thanks to all who followed and faved my story, but I'd pleeeeeeeease like some reviews. Seriously! I'd like to hear your comments and criticisms. I'm rambling now, so I'll just get on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I sadly do not own the magnificent movie Rise of the Guardians. It is the rightful property of Dreamworks.**

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The Guardians all looked towards the large, half-opened window as the resident Guardian of Fun came floating in, only he looked like he wasn't having much fun at this moment. His hood was pulled up, but that did not stop the four Legends from seeing the dark bags under his eyes and the scowl on his face. Sandy formed a waving hand above his head, as if to say 'hello' and then formed a question mark when Jack simply brushed past him looked at all four of them with a hooded look that said ' I have a lot to do, so let's get this over with.'. North saw the look and decided to speak up. _"Mal'chik," _North started "we have noticed that you have become… distant in the past months. Is there anything bothering you?" North wanted to get this over with as well, so they could address the Minotaur problem ASAP. Jack looked taken aback for a moment, wondering if they suspected anything, but he schooled his face and, once again, brushed it off. "I'm fine, if that's what you're getting at." Jack moved to fly out of the window, but was grabbed by his wrist and pulled back by a furry paw. "Not just yet, ya show pony. We got a real problem on our hands." While Bunny was talking, Jack managed to squirm out of the Pooka's grasp and started flying toward the window, but right before he exited; North said something that made the Winter Spirit stop in his tracks

"Is new evil, _Mal'chik_! This thing is a danger to children everywhere!"

Jacks eyes grew wide with disbelief as Death's words replayed in his mind over and over again.

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"_You have one century, do you hear me, Frost? _ONE_ Century to find me a soul despicable enough to match the goodness in this sublime creature's heart" he said as he motioned to the sleepy- looking girl slowly sinking deeper into the river of Death." _

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Now, the opportunity was presenting itself on a silver platter. Over the last ninety-some years, Jack had brought him thieves and murderers alike, and yet none of them had been quite evil enough to counter the caring yet fiercely protective spirit that his Catrina had possessed. The white-haired boy slowly turned around after taming his expression once again. "What do you mean new evil?" A tiny flicker of hope swelled in his heart, a feeling he had not felt in a long time. Maybe this was finally it. The soul he could bring in exchange for her freedom. North saw that he was getting through to Jack, and continued to explain the scene that frightened them so much right before he arrived. "Manny has shown us something very unnerving. A great evil we have kept at bay for centuries. A truly despicable being that…" Jack had spaced out after the last thing that the large Cossack said. "_A soul despicable enough…" _ Death's words rang in his ears as North finished his rant. This was truly it. Jack almost choked out a sob in relief, but caught himself again for the third time that night. The teenager pulled down his hood and gave the Guardians full view of the smirk on his face, but said smirk was instantly drowned out by a serious frown when Bunny asked the next question.

"Oh and mate, do ya know anything 'bout a girl?"

Jack's eyes instantly hardened, and he uttered a barely audible "That's none of your business, kangaroo," before storming out with a hurricane force wind that blew into the workshop, but Bunny did hear him, and bounded to the window with speed only possible for him. "I AM NOT A KANGAROO!" the Pooka screamed, but Jack was well out of earshot. "What was that about?" North asked. Sandy shrugged and pulled up a question mark above his head. Tooth spoke up. "Um guys, I normally don't suggest this because it's an invasion of privacy, but Jack looks like he's keeping something from us. Something very important that we could help him with, if he lets us." The other three looked at her before North asked what it was. "We could go into his memories." Their eyes widened at this, but they realized that Tooth was right. They were never going to get Jack to tell, so his memories might have held the answer. North went into his study, and came back out with his snow globe. The four Guardians huddled together and North whispered their destination, which was the Tooth Palace. The portal opened and they all went through.

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When they arrived at the palace, the Tooth Fairies swarmed them, but dispersed when Baby Tooth waved a disapproving finger at her sisters, but they really only left because Jack was absent from the group. "This way" Tooth said as she led them to a grand spire in the middle of the Palace. "This one holds the memories of all the spirits." said the hybrid as she punched a few numbers into a keypad at the base of the spire. A steam whistle was heard and then a tooth box came rolling out, which Tooth skillfully caught. On both ends of the box was the same picture as Jack's human tooth box, but with his signature white hair and sapphire eyes instead. "Alright everybody, hold hands." North and Bunny looked at each other hesitantly, but held hands anyway. Tooth grabbed Sandy's outstretched hand, and then used the delicate fingers of the other hand to open the tooth box. There was a bright flash of light and they were plunged into a memory.

_*Unknown's POV*_

"_My time is near. Soon, all the children of the world will be mine for the feasting!" Then, the figure let out o horrifying laugh. "Ready or not Guardians, here I come."_

**Cliffie! Yay! I can't make any promises, as you guys have learned the hard way, ( and I'm really sorry for that) but I'll try to have the next chapter up by next Sunday evening. R&R. Constructive criticism. NO FLAMES!**


	4. Meeting Catrina

***as Mushu* I LIIIIIIVE! But seriously though, I'm back! My muse FINALLY **

**came back from vacation, so I'm starting this story back up again. In this chapter, you all will finally get to meet Catrina, Jack's love interest. There will also be a lot of Spanish in this chapter, so I'll post the translations at the bottom in the author's note. One more thing;****_ italics are past_**** and regular text is present. So, without further ado, I present to you the next chapter of "A Century I've Been Waiting". *dramatic music plays***

**Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG. I only own my OC.**

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_It was cold winter night in December of 1910, and while the rest of the world was asleep, four Guardians came crashing out of a portal opened by a magical tooth box. The animal of the group, 6'1 bunny, stood up on his hind legs and cracked his sore back. "Crikey Tooth, ya' couldn't have stood to mention the ride?!" Tooth just rubbed her neck sheepishly and said, "Well it's been a long time since I've traveled this far into someone's memories, so cut me some slack!" Bunny was about to speak, but North cut him off. "We cannot concern ourselves with Bunny's sore back. Right now, we must focus on finding the past Jack." Bunny opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by a familiar laugh. A flash of white and the curve of a Shepard's crook gave away the position of the past winter sprite. Bunny made a move to call to him. "Oi, Frostbite-." Tooth slapped a hand over his mouth. "We're in a memory, Bunny. Nobody can hear us but us." Bunny held his tongue. Sandy made a motion with his hands, signifying that they should follow Jack to wherever he went. "Good idea, Sandy, but how will we catch up?" North said. Sandy thought for a moment before a light bulb appeared over his head. When the other four gave him confused looks, he fashioned Dream Cloud large enough to fit all four of them. They were all hesitant at first, but stepped on to find that it was quite sturdy. With a flick of his wrist, Sandy sent the cloud speeding in Jacks direction. They were going to find out what was wrong with him._

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Tears froze in the corners of his eyes while fern-like frost tear tracks wove their way down his cheeks. _"How did they know?"_ he thought. He came to a sudden stop in a pine forest somewhere outside of Canada and perched on the top of the tallest tree, coming face-to-face with the full Moon. The Man who had given him so much, yet taken away so much from him at the same time. His voice started out in a small whisper and gained volume as his anger rose. "Why do you want to make me suffer? What did I do?! She was the love of my life! My pride and joy, and YOU took her away!" The tears were flowing freely now, and a blizzard was kicking up in accordance with his anguish. "I don't know what sick game you're setting up, because I'm not a player. I couldn't care less about your plan, because I **will **get her back, AND I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP TO DO IT!" With a blizzard at his heels and anguish in his heart, Jack turned his back on his Creator and stormed away. If one had listened carefully that night, a faint and sad sight whispered its way through the night air.

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_They had been traveling southwards for an hour, following a trail of frost Jack left as he flew close to the ground. As they went on, Tooth noticed that they had recently entered Mexico. Finally, they noticed a head of white hair and dismounted the cloud to follow him on foot, but the longer they walked, the more they realized that Jack had no destination and was just wandering aimlessly around, until he finally came to a large cemetery. With absolutely no hesitation, Jack just kept walking in. The Guardians, however, hesitated for a moment before following him. Bunny shuddered as he rubbed at the goose bumps that rose on the skin under his fur. "Why would Frost want ta' come ere'? It's bloody creepy, it is." This earned him a thump on the head from Tooth. "We're in a memory, Aster. Nothing can hurt us." At the mention of his first name, Bunny knew that she was serious and promptly shut up. During their argument, Jack had moved away, so Sandy motioned that they should catch up to him, albeit his going through a thicket. The Guardians, knowing that they could not be hurt, simply passed through the brambles. What they came to took their breath away._

_They had entered an extremely old part of the cemetery. The tombstones and statues were weathered and cracked by years of exposure to the wind and rain. A thick fog rolled over the ground, shrouding the graves in its white mist. In a far corner of the grotto stood an old willow tree, a crystal clear pond at its roots. The aged branches hung over the water like a curtain, giving it an air of privacy. The entire scene gave off an atmosphere of mystery, beauty, and magic. _

_Yet, while the Guardians were taking in the macabre yet majestic scene, Sandy noticed that something else had Jack on the defensive. He had his staff gripped tightly in both hands, its magic pulsing through the grain of the wood and ready to be released at a moment's notice. Sandy caught the attention of the Guardians and pointed to the graves. In the middle of it all was a girl. Clearly Hispanic, and very beautiful. From what could be seen as she knelt over a grave, she had tanned olive skin that seemed to shine in the dim light of the crescent moon and jet black hair that fell to her hips, with a red rose tucked behind her ear. Her dress was black and fell to her feet; the sleeves off- shoulder and largely puffed, reaching her elbows. The dress had black beaded patterns covering the entire length of her body. To Jack and the Guardian's astonishment, as she ran a slender finger over the cracks in the headstone, they repaired. "She must be a spirit." They all thought. Suddenly, the girl froze and slowly stood to face Jack. In that moment, all of the Guardians felt what Jack felt. A spark of electricity and absolute adoration for this person standing in front of them. The girl apparently felt it too, as her eyes were glazed over and her mouth was open slightly, but she quickly reclaimed herself and an expression of fury overtook her features. In a second she was on Jack, one leg on each side of his waist, pinning him. His staff was knocked out of his hands and out of reach. Her teeth were bared and a fist ready to land a heavy blow on his face._

_"¿Quien es usted? ¿ Que estas haciendo aqui?"* She screamed. Bunny was the first to speak out. "What the bloody heck?! Weren't they __**just**__ love-struck with each other?" Tooth and the others could only shrug and turn back to watch the events play out. Jack just stared, his mouth trying to form words until all of his years of Spanish came back to him. "Me llamo Jack Frost. ¿ Habla Ingles?"** The girl instantly softened upon hearing her language. She eased herself off of Jack and offered him a hand. When he just continued staring, she rolled her eyes and said, "I am offering you help to stand. You need it, yes?" Jack snapped out of his stupor and took her hand, pulling himself up. She looked at him suspiciously while tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "What are you doing in my cemetery?" Jack began stuttering. "W-well I ju-just was kinda walking and I sorta just-"She cut him off with a finger to his lips. His entire face turned deep blue in his blush. "You are stuttering. What makes you nervous?" _

_Bunny was laughing his head off. "Oh man," said the Pooka as he wiped a tear from his eye, "I always thought Frostbite woulda been one ta' charm the ladies, not stand there like a dill and blush." Tooth gave him a disapproving look and turned his head towards the couple. "Well not anymore. Look" She said._

_Jack had stopped stuttering and was now speaking with confidence. " You know what's strange?" She looked at him quizzically "¿Que pasa?"*** Jack kept on without a beat to translate. "You know my name, but I don't know yours. Interesting event isn't it, Latina?" She gave him an unreadable look before saying. "Me nombre es La Calavera Catrina."**** Jack laughed as he perched on a tombstone. When he got a look of disapproval from this 'Catrina' girl, he just shrugged, prompting her to join him. "What is funny?" she asked. "What a mouthful. I'm gonna need to right that down." She hit him on the arm lightly. "You can just call me Catrina, Senor Frio." When he looked at her strangely, she elaborated. "You are a Winter Spirit, are you not? Judging by your pale skin and white hair you are suited for nothing else." Jack mocked his hurt by putting a hand over his heart. "My skin is NOT that pale-""Yes it is. You look like a ghost." She deadpanned. Jack thought up a quick retort. "Well, speaking of ghosts, what are you doing hanging around a graveyard in the first place? Pretty creepy place to be." She put her hands on her hips before proudly proclaiming, "I am the Spirit of El Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of The Dead in your first language."_

_"How did you know Spanish wasn't my first language?" he asked, indignant._

_"Easy. No accents, slightly broken, and you speak it through your nose." She said while pinching the bridge of her nose for the last one. _

_"Haha, I guess I gotta work on that, huh?" She laughed along. "Definitely." She said._

_Bunny looked between the two teens and turned to Tooth. " This looks like the beginnin' a' true love if I eva' seen it, Toothie." Tooth was about to respond when a violent shudder wracked her frame and all of her feathers ruffled. Sand placed a worried hand on her shoulder. She heaved a large breath before saying, "Something is very wrong. We need to leave NOW." North looked at the two teens, and then looked back at his fellow Guardians. "If I can feel things with my belly-""No ya' can't." Bunny cut him off. North gave him an annoyed look before continuing. "If I can feel things with my belly, Tooth can feel things with feathers. WE GO!" Tooth produced the memory box from behind her back, but before she could send them back, Sandy grabbed her chin and snapped her head in the two spirits direction, and what she saw made her jaw drop._

_Catrina had left a lingering kiss on Jack's cheek, dangerously close to his mouth. As she vanished into the mist, a faint 'Adios, Jack' hung in the air. Jack stood catatonic, a small smile on his face as he touched the place where the kiss landed. Bunny let out a hoot. "Atta boy, Frosty!" Tooth rolled her eyes as she grabbed Bunny's hand and sent them back._

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A bright flash brought them back to the Tooth Palace, which was as clean and neat as Tooth left it. "I-I don't understand…. I-I really felt that something was wrong." North put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh well, sometimes premonitions are kaput. Not every power is as correct as belly." He patted his stomach for emphasis. " We must get back to Pole and discuss this Minotaur problem ASAP." Tooth gave a defeated sigh as North pulled his snow globe out of his coat. "Santoff Clausen" he whispered. The snow globe was thrown and they were transported.

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They were dumbstruck. Absolutely struck speechless with horror. The workshop was in shambles. Unconscious yeti's and elves littered the floor the lights were either dimly flickering of completely busted, sharp and broken glass littered the floor. Some of the yeti's had gashes in various places on their bodies. North was shaking with rage and white hot fury. "WHO DID THIIIIIIIISS!?" he yelled. "Must you be so loud, Russian?" They all paled as an annoyed voice behind them spoke. They turned slowly and there, behind them stood Minotaur, in all of his horrendous glory. The horrid creature had a muscular, tan human-like physique and five-fingered hands, but the dark brown legs and tan head of a bull. In his left hand, he held a bloodied elf, in his right, a cleaver.

"Missed me, Guardians?' he taunted. Bunny gritted his teeth as he rushed the Grecian monster, boomerangs pulled and a war cry tearing out of his throat. "Minotaur you cannibalistic drongo, come ere'!" The hybrid looked at Bunny with a bored expression on his face, until the Pooka was right on him, when he dropped the poor elf, which made haste to drag itself away, and grab Bunny around the throat. He swung the rabbit around once or twice before throwing him into the other Guardians. While they were trying to pick themselves up, Minotaur said, " You like my game , Guardians? Cause it's time to play!" With that, he rushed them, and everything went black.

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**(A/N) Woohoo! Finished! This chapter, I mean. Although the end of this story isn't very far away. Oh , before I forget, I put a couple sentences from a Disney movie in there. First person to find the reference gets a virtual cookie (::) Chocolate Chip! I know, crappy prize, but I put it in there for no other reason than to be found. And here are the translations:**

***Who are you? What are you doing here?**

****I'm Jack Frost. Do you speak English? **

***** What is it?**

******My name is La Calavera Catrina**

**And one more thing, if you're a Legend of Korra fan, can you check out my other two stories. Would really mean a lot. Anyway, bye bye, lovelies! And don't be shy with the comments, but no profanity of flames. TTYL! **


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